The New Jersey Symphony ring in the Year of the Rabbit in celebratory fashion
The New Jersey Symphony held its first in-person Lunar New Year Celebration concert since the start of the pandemic, welcoming the Year of the Rabbit with pre-concert festivities and a celebratory performance with multiple soloist and choir collaborations. NJ Advance Media joined in on the celebration, giving a nod to Music Director Xian Zhang and the Symphony for the event’s successful return.
Zhang’s fifth Lunar New Year concert began and ended just like the first one. The finale featured all 1,100 in the audience asked to join in singing the traditional Mandarin song, “Gong Xi Gong Xi” (which is sort of East Asia’s equivalent of “Auld Lang Syne”). It all started with five furry Cantonese Lions— courtesy of the Edison Chinese School Lion Dance Team—nimbly parading around the stage and up and down the aisles. Even in the Year of the Rabbit, no Chinese New Year is complete without Lions.
James C. Taylor of NJ Advance Media